Verdantia Camp, MidnightThe camp was quiet, save for the soft crackle of distant torches and the occasional rustle of tents under the wind’s breath.Near the edge of the ridge overlooking the vast, swampy lowlands where the invaders’ forces had set up their banners, a lone figure sat calmly atop a perfectly round stone pillar, about a meter high, sculpted from the earth itself.Oasis, clad in his flowing dark robes, stared into the horizon with a tranquil expression, as though trying to see beyond the veil of night and war.His azure eyes shimmered faintly like twin flames, watching the flickering enemy fires in the distance.From behind him, a familiar voice called out, laced with teasing warmth."So you don’t even greet your senior sister here?"Oasis didn’t turn.With a casual lift of his arm, the ground beside him responded to his will—another identical stone pillar emerged from the soil, as if summoned by a silent command."Sit here," he said, voice calm.The woman stepped forwa

The sun had already climbed the horizon, casting a soft amber glow on two figures stepping forward—one from Lunaris , one from the Kingdom of Ironhold , both brought to Verdantia by war and grudges.No birds sang. No blades clashed. Only wind stirred… choked and thin under the pressure of two opposing auras.Karn and Oasis stood at the center of the plain, a narrow gulf of wet earth separating them.The air between them warped faintly, trembling under the weight of their spiritual presence.Their auras were restrained—barely—but even so, they pressed outward like giants lying in wait.Armies on both sides watched in reverent silence, anticipation clenching every chest like a vice.Karn’s expression was unreadable as he slowly reached behind his head and untied the cord that bound his long black hair.It fell past his shoulders like a curtain of shadow, rippling faintly under the invisible pressure of his aura.“So it’s already time… to finish what we started,” Karn said coolly, his vo

Karn katana traced afterimages of blazing arcs in the air, each step shattering patches of grass and sending up bursts of pressure in his wake.But ahead of him, Oasis remained still.Completely still.Not a twitch, not a shift in posture—just the boy with black tousled hair and unreadable azure eyes, standing there as if Karn’s approach was no more threatening than the morning breeze.“Knowing this kid, that was not just talk… he’s holding back.” Karn’s teeth clenched as his body cut through the field with terrifying speed, wind flaring around his crimson aura like a screaming storm.“He’s doing it on purpose. I need to stay calm,” Karn told himself, jaw tense. “The moment I lose rationality against someone like him, my head will roll.”His mind raced, spinning with possibilities. “If things get too dangerous, I can take to the skies… unless…”A terrible realization cracked through his thoughts.“He’s a phoenix.” Karn’s eyes narrowed slightly as his aura flickered. “And yet… he’s nev

"That kid needs to be killed," Orion muttered darkly, eyes narrowed as crimson light from Karn’s attack still shimmered in the sky.Varian nodded beside him, a cruel grin tugging at his lips."If he walks off that battlefield alive, none of us will sleep easy again."Their words, like venomous echoes, swept through the battlefield's command tier.Tension rippled across the invader's command structure.At the opposite cliff, among the Verdantian commanders..."We need to be ready," Aurora said, her expression steeled and unwavering.Her robes rippled in the storm-born wind. "The moment he wins, we move to protect him. We must."Murmurs swelled like ocean tides across both armies—disciples, soldiers, commanders.Even Enlightened cultivators couldn’t deny it.Oasis Volacris still stood.Then—A voice, deep and composed, rang from the heights of Verdantia's command cliff. It was calm.But it silenced every breath like thunder."No one will dare touch the child," the man declared.All eyes